Typically software is no longer supported when there are several newer versions out, or when the software is so outdated that it no longer functions properly on newer computers, whichever comes first.

In early April, 2013, Microsoft announced its plans to phase out support for a few of their older software, a change that could leave businesses (and individuals) in the lurch.

Microsoft’s determination for phasing out software is fairly clear cut – they promise to support their products for a minimum of 10 years, with 5 years of mainstream support, and 5 years of extended support.

And next year, on April 8, 2014, Microsoft is phasing out support on a few (still) popular products:

Windows XP

Office 2003

Office 2008 – Mac Version – support ends April 9, 2014

So what does this change mean for businesses? Well, nothing and everything.

Of course you can continue to use your outdated products, as technically they will still work just like they did before. However, problems requiring support through Microsoft won’t be fixable, and over time you could see even bigger issues.

The larger reality is that if you’re still using these older operating systems and office products, you could probably stand for an update. Newer operating systems, though they require a small learning curve, run faster and help you produce more than their older counterparts. Additionally, newer software boasts better features, and increased security through patches, bug fixes, and software updates.

Though it would require a bit of an initial investment, upgrading your office, particularly if you are still using any of these programs, will end up saving you in the long run in time and money made back due to increased productivity.

If your business is still using these outdated software products, give us a call today. We can help you evaluate which newer versions are right for your business, and help get them implemented and installed so that you aren’t affected by this change.

We may have written a few articles about common shortcut keys for various software, but it seems we missed Outlook. Since it is one of the more commonly used software for business email, we thought we’d take the time to share some keyboard shortcuts that will help you get around quicker, and get more out of Outlook.

Here are a few of our favorite shortcuts.

Note: * Denotes commonly used shortcuts for PC software.

Arrow Keys: Move throughout the navigation pane.

Left / Right Arrow Keys: Collapse / expand a group in the e-mail message list.

ALT + . (period): Opens the Address Book with the To: field selected.

ALT + B: Opens the Address Book with the BCC: field selected.

ALT + C: Select message recipients for CC: field.

ALT + D: Switch to Daily Calendar view.

ALT + E: Open the Edit drop down menu.

ALT + F: Open the File drop down menu.

ALT + K: Check names in the To:, CC:, or BCC: field against the Address Book. Note: Cursor must be in the corresponding field to check contacts.

ALT + L: Reply All, in an open message.

ALT + M: Switch to Monthly Calendar view.

ALT + R: Reply / Switch to Work Week Calendar view.

ALT + S: Sends an open message.

ALT + Y: Switch to Daily Calendar view.

ALT + F4: Close the active window.

CTRL + 1: Switch to Mail.

CTRL + 2: Switch to Calendar.

CTRL + 3: Switch to Contacts.

CTRL + 4: Switch to Tasks.

CTRL + 5: Switch to Notes

CTLR + 6: Switch to Folder list in Navigation Pane.

CTLR + 7: Switch to Shortcuts.

CTRL +A: Select all. *

CTRL + B: Bold selected text. *

CTRL + C: Copy selected text. *

CTRL + D: Delete an item (message, task, contact, etc.)

CTRL + F: Forward an item, must have a message open.

CTRL + J: Open a new Journal Entry for the selected item (message, task, contact, etc.)

CTRL + M: Send / Receive All.

CTRL + O: Open selected item. *

CTRL + P: Print selected item. Opens Print dialogue box. *

CTRL + Q: Mark the selected message as Read.

CTRL + R: Reply to selected / open message.

CTRL + T: Tab.

CTRL + U: Mark selected message as unread.

CTRL + V: Paste cut / copied information. *

CTRL + X: Cut selected information. *

CTRL + Y: Go to folder.

CTRL + , (comma): Switch to the next item. Note: must have an item open to use this command.

CTRL + . (period): Switch to previous item. Note: must have an item open to use this command.

It’s almost the end of the year, so we thought we’d take a moment to reflect on some of the articles we’ve posted throughout the year about Microsoft products. Whether it involves Outlook, Windows 7 or 8, Word, Excel, One Note, or other Microsoft related products, we’ve probably written an article about it, packed full of tips, tricks, or other helpful information.

If you missed these posts throughout the year, now is a great time to catch up, and possibly learn something new, and maybe even carry those new skills into the New Year.

If you are having a problem with your computer, Windows 7 has many built into tools to help troubleshoot the issue. This article explores those tools, helping you understand not only what diagnostic to run, but also why you should run it.

Bitlocker is a valuable built in encryption software available in newer versions of Windows (Vista and above), and available on Server 2008 and above. Read this article to learn more about how and why this built in software protects your data from offline hackers.

If you have been looking for a solution that allows you to keep your notes in one place, across multiple platforms (desktop, laptop, mobile device), consider using Microsoft One Note. This article explores why this is a MUST USE piece of software in the Microsoft Office suite.

Tired of clicking on an email in Outlook, and then waiting a while for it to be marked as read? There’s an easy way to change the time it takes for Outlook to mark the item as read. Read this article to find out how.

Each time you hit tab in a Word document, you could be messing up your formatting. This article explores how to use tab stops to properly format a document without having to space items manually (which can skew the spacing).

Need help adjusting the space between the lines of text in your Word document? Want to discover where that extra return is coming from? Read this article to discover ways to fix hidden formatting issues in your Word documents.